General Questions

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Does the PRS accept donations

Yes, the Portland Rose Society is a 501c3 and we do take donations. The donations are used to further the missions of the society. We provide you with a letter detailing the amount of the donation and our 501c3 number. If you have any other questions please call 503-777-4311 or send a message to the Webmaster.

Meetings

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I am interested in attending your meeting. Is this for members-only? I am not a member now but have been considering it.

No, you do not need to be a member to attend a meeting. Meeting are open to everyone and do bring a friend to intoduce to roses.

Fertilizer

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Can I buy the Portland Rose Society Fertilizer even if i'm not a member?

Yes. Anyone can purchase the fertilizer. It is available at the monthly meetings in March, April and May, and can be picked up in the parking lot at Oaks Parks.

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What if I can't make it to the meeting to pick up the fertilizer, can I buy it anywhere else

Yes. It is available for sale at the following locations:

Dennis' 7 Dees

Rose Shows

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Does it cost anything to see the roses on display at the Spring Rose Show?

No, there is not an admission fee at this time and you do not need to be a member to see or enter roses.

My wife and I will be visiting Portland for the Rose Festival. My question is can you give me some guidance on planning our visit to Portland and the best way to see the festival and activities.

The rose society teaches how to keep the rose city the "Rose City." The Portland Rose Festival Foundation is the organization that you should contact about the information you want. They have a very complete web site at Rosefestival.org. You will find all of the events and contacts there to get you the kind of information that you are seeking. Good luck and hope to see you at the Rose Festival. If you have any problems, you can contact us and we will try to get you directed better.

Membership

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Can I get an electronic version of the Portland Rose Society newsletter?

Yes. Please put your request on the “Feedback Page” or you can call and leave a message on the PRS phone (503-777-4311) and The ChatterEditors will contact you for your information.

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I signed up to receive an electronic version of the Portland Rose Society newsletter, but I would like to also receive it in the mail, is that possible?

Yes. Please put your request on the “Feedback Page" or you can call and leave a message on the PRS phone (503-777-4311) and The ChatterEditors will contact you for your information.

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Can I give a Portland Rose Society membership to a friend as a gift?

Yes. Please put your request on the “Feedback” Page or call and leave a message on the PRS phone (503-777-4311) and the Membership Secretary will contact you to get the details.

Rose Care

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Is there anyone in the Portland Rose Society who would be interested in teaching a class on “Rose Care & Pruning”?

Yes, we have consulting rosarians who would be willing and able to come to your meeting, or event. Just call the PRS Phone line (503-777-4311) and someone will get back to you. You can also enter a message with your request on the “Feedback Page” at Portlandrosesociety.org.

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I have a rusty substance on the bottom of my rose leaves, what is it and how do I get rid of it?

That is “rust.” You can to the webpage “All About Roses” and check out the “Common cures for rose problems” to learn more about this common problem and other problems that might be happening to your roses.

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When is the best time to prune my roses?

You can start pruning your roses around President’s Day in the Spring. Also, you can plan to visit one of the many FREE Pruning Demonstrations provided by members of the Portland Rose Society. Please see the “Calendar” for specific dates in February and March.

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How do I prune my roses?

Go to the webpage “All About Roses” and check out the “Pruning Guide.” Also, you can plan to visit one of the many FREE Pruning Demonstrations provided by members of the Portland Rose Society. Please see the “Calendar” for specific dates in February and March.

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Can you tell me when to hard prune my roses?

The standard recommendation is to wait until about the end of February or early March. It also can be done with great certainty of success any time earlier in the year. I usually start my hard pruning in January and February, any time the weather is nice enough to encourage me to go out into the garden to enjoy the day. The only drawback to the early pruning time is that if you have a very late and hard frost the tips of some of the canes can be killed and then it would be prudent for the beauty of the garden to prune those dead areas away, thus having to prune some of the bushes twice. Therefore for people with small rose gardens it is probably prudent to wait until early spring, but I personally have almost 1000 roses in the garden and I need to spread the pruning time out so that I can get it done without rushing at the end. Roses are very forgiving of almost anything we do to them or when we do it, so decide what you want to do and forget worrying about what is right, as right is subjective and not an absolute with roses.

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I pruned my roses in the Spring; do I have to prune them in the Fall as well?

You can prune your roses in the Fall if they are tall and you don’t want them to break off in the wind. No need to prune them down real low, just enough to keep them from being damaged in during the Winter weather.

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I have started to cut out the dead from the roses but they seem to really need heavy pruning. Would is it to late to cut them way back or should I do light pruning and cut way back at the end of the year?

No it is not too late to do pruning now. However, I would start by removing any old branches that are not being very productive. I am sure that you can identify dead branches, so cut them off as close to their origins as you can. Next look to find canes (branches) that are not producing any significant growth. By now vigorous parts of the plant should be producing vigorous growth. These would be the next parts that I would remove, again all the way back to their origin. Hopefully you will still be left with a significant amount of plant material. You can prune this back as well, basically to any size that you want, but probably do not reduce these parts of the plant by more than 1/2. I am not sure what the overall size of the plants are right now, but this type of pruning will probably allow the plant to produce significant new growth through this season, and then you can prune it any way you like next February-March. Roses are really resilient and you probably have nothing to fear by going at the job with vigor.

I have two climbing roses that go up either side of a 4 ft x 8 ft arbor. Last summer we re-landscaped our yard and the level of the ground went up about 7" inches at the location of the arbor, burying the graft union. Will they be OK with the graft union buried, or should I dig them up and replant them so the graft union is above the new ground level?

Roses are pretty immune as to the depth of the graft union. In our climate in Portland I suggest that people plant the bud union below the soil about 2 inches as it gives some built in protection against possible winter kill. In colder climates the recommendation is to put it even deeper. In Ontario the recommendation is to put it up to 8 inches under the soil. Normally this requires a lot of deep digging, but you already have yours that way. The roses should continue to thrive under their new conditions without any problems. The only change is that they will produce roots along the stems that are underground.

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How often should I water my roses?

A robust rose plant will transpire up to a gallon of water a day during a warm sunny day. So if you can water such that your plants are receiving 7 or more gallons each per week they should stay healthy, growing and most importantly producing beautiful flowers. If they are not getting enough water they just slow way down in the growth and flower production. In the garden, roses will not show any specific signs of dehydration other than they just slow way down. If you add water and they begin to grow faster you will be on your way to understanding just how much your particular roses need to do their best.